


Guilty Plea

by thunderbird_dragon



Series: The WASP Years [2]
Category: Thunderbirds, thunderbirds are go
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 12:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8624674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderbird_dragon/pseuds/thunderbird_dragon
Summary: Gordon, now at WASP Cadet Training Facility Newfoundland, stands accused of 'Wounding with Intent to Kill' a fellow student.  As he is only 14, his father is called in to talk to him before the hearing, especially as there is something going on that the Commandant has been unable to unravel.(contains report of bullying)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the third part in my series 'The WASP Years', but AO3 doesn't seem to let me leave a gap for the second, but then it is still on the drawing board and may never actually surface! The series is entirely my imagination, trying to sort out in my own mind, how to fit everything young Gordon did before joining his family in International Rescue, according to the cannon of the original series.  
> As TAG2015 wanted the brothers to be younger, it may just not be possible to fit it all in but for the benefit of my series, I worked on Gordon being 20/21 when he joined International Rescue, it still works for TAG2015 but it takes a bit of a stretch with the ages.

_**The WASP Years - Guilty Plea** _

“Come through Mr Tracy,” Commandant Trekkner held out a hand to usher Jeff through.

Another principle's office, surely this wasn’t another report of Gordon’s misbehaviour? 

Jeff’s heart sank at being ‘requested with some urgency’ to Trekkner’s office at WASP Training Newfoundland.  There was no indication as to why yet, but Jeff just couldn’t believe that Gordon would have done anything to risk his good record at Cadet Training.  It had, after all been over two years since Jeff had been called into anyone’s office!  The boy was doing well in WASP Cadets, it had been the making of him. So, what the hell had he done now?

“Take a seat,” Trekkner sat across the desk from him, he looked tired, haggard.  “I’m sorry Mr Tracy but your son’s causing me quit a headache at the moment.”  Jeff waited, this appeared to be difficult for the Commandant.  “Has he spoken to you?”

Jeff’s eyes had started to narrow, what was this all about _, out with it man_!  Cautiously, he shook his head adding, “No, not this week as yet.”

Trekkner rubbed his face hard with both hands.  “I’m sorry, my officers and I have had a very frustrating week, I believe we’ve not been given the truth.  Its best I tell you the worst and see if we can work back from there.”

Thank goodness for that, Jeff thought.  Though he had to admit, there was something about the man that seemed sincere, on Jeff’s side – and so hopefully also on Gordon’s.

“Your son Gordon is up on a charge’, Trekkner reached over for the file to have the exact words, “Wounding with intent to kill.”

Jeff wanted to jump up and scream, “Not my Gordon, never!” but he sat quite still, legs folded, hands quiet on his lap and waited to hear more.

“Load of rubbish of course!” Trekkner sighed.

Jeff’s eyebrows shot up, his poker face shattered.

Trekkner continued, “But we’ve all talked to him and he’s adamant that he’s the guilty party!”  The Commandant stood, wishing he could be anywhere but there at that moment.  Having to tell a man that his son was already in detention on serious charges was bad enough.  But there was to be more, he next had to explain that, if found guilty by a hearing to be held the next day, then Gordon would be discharged WASP, and would then be arrested by the civilian police on criminal charges.

Jeff could stay still no longer, “What do you mean, it’s a load of rubbish!”

Trekkner stared at him, “As I said, its rubbish.  The boy doesn’t have it in him to hurt anyone maliciously.  However, for several months we have been aware of bullying here at Newfoundland, unable to get anything solid from any of the Cadets.  There have been injuries, serious ones. It’s been infuriating but they all clam up the minute you start questioning any of them, victims or possible culprits alike.”  He slammed his fist on the table, “Totally infuriating!” 

He turned to the window, the training base was spread below him, he had always been proud of what was achieved there, the reputation he had built for it, giving quality training and education to youngster heading for a military career.  Now the base was to undergo a full investigation into the events, he felt his own record was under threat.

“It came to a head last weekend, we had two Cadets hospitalised due to an ‘accident’!  Accident my arse!  Tempers down amongst the Cadets was burning hot. Something was bound to explode and we are _told_ that it was Gordon who took a knife to our biggest suspect.  A lad two years older, Ford Mannou.  He’s not badly hurt but a crime is a crime.  I know, _we all know_ , Gordon is not the one, but none of us can convince him to change his story.”  He turned to Jeff, “I thought maybe you would have a word.”

Jeff couldn’t wait!

On seeing his father, Gordon’s stomach twisted, this was going to be hard.  Trekkner left them together in his office.

“Son?”

Gordon was too uncomfortable under his father’s gaze, he could neither look up at his father nor look away, his pulled at the fingers of his hands clasped uneasily behind him, he shifted from one foot to the other.

“Son?”

Jeff watched him, feeling for him but refusing to lessen the pressure. 

“Son, I need something, anything!” 

Still nothing.  The boy swayed a little but kept quiet.  Jeff took a step forward, one hand out stretched to rest on his son's shoulder, the swaying stopped.  Gordon felt the full weight of his father's hand, the guilt that it represented.  Knowing he was letting his dad down hurt so very much.

“You really need to tell me what’s going on if you want me to help you.”

A reaction.  At last a reaction, not the one Jeff wanted but at least it was a start, Gordon had shaken his head.

“Okay.  Just answer me one question.” Jeff asked steadily.  “Did you do this thing?”

Suddenly, Gordon’s eyes were fixed on his fathers, it frightened Jeff, the boy was fit to burst, tears held back by shear strength of will, jaw clenched.  He couldn’t say anything, he just couldn’t.

“Son?” He drew the boy in closer, Gordon took an involuntary step closer, resisting all the way.  “Son, did you do this, did you stab this boy?”

Jeff could feel Gordon shaking under his hand.  Jeff squeezed his shoulder.

“Son?”

Gordon could see it in his father’s eyes, he didn’t believe Gordon could have done this, he knew he hadn’t.  So why ask?

Jeff added the slightest of sharp jerks to the squeeze – “Son!”

“Yes, Dad, yes I did!”

Jeff put his other hand up on his shoulder – watching the agony on the boy’s face.

“Son, I think that’s the first time ever that you’ve lied to me!”

 

 

The hearing was to be held in camera at the base but Jeff had been given dispensation to be present.

Presiding Officers were two Captains and a Commander seconded in from their ships docked in the port. 

Behind Jeff sat in a uniformed row of Cadets thought relevant to the hearing.  He looked over his shoulder at them all, he couldn’t tell which were Gordon’s friends and which might be the bullies, they all looked the same.  Fresh faced youths every one of them!  No, he was wrong, there were differences – it was in their expressions.  One, a girl close to him, dark haired and eyes, looked anxious enough to match Jeff’s own anxiety.  He thought he remembered her from a social, yes, this was Su Lin, she was one of the friends.  The boy next to her with the hard face, narrow eyes, sallow, yes, he was another, Jeff remembered him too.  The one beyond him was smirking just ever so slightly, bastard!  Jeff could see he was no friend to Gordon, he was enjoying the proceedings too much.  Might he be part of the bullying ring?  Impossible for Jeff to tell if those working there daily couldn’t identify them after weeks of trying. 

Jeff looked for the boy that he knew was definitely a good friend, Andy? Adam?  No Alex, Alex Balenski! Where was he?

Gordon was led in under guard, Jeff’s heart pounded at seeing him so, why wouldn’t the boy let him help?

The charge was read out, the hearing held on the same lines as a Court Martial, Gordon replied clearly.  “Guilty, Sir.”

The senior Captain addressed him directly, “We have been informed of the circumstances of this hearing, the full circumstances or at least as much as your closed rank of friends here will allow us to know.  Are you sure that you want to admit guilt here?”

Gordon nodded, the quickest glance over his shoulder, looking for his father? Or someone else?

“Cadet Tracy, I need that in words not shifty looks!” Then the Captain’s tone softened just a little, he had kids of his own this age.  He tried again with less formality, “Are you sure that you want to admit to this, son.  It’s a very serious charge!”

“Yes Sir.”

“Have you received good council on this?  Who explained the consequences to you?” 

“Commandant Trekkner, Sir.  He explained everything.”

“You will lose your place here the instant that we accept your guilty plea, you understand that?”

“Yes Sir.”

“You’ll be discharged WASP?”

A moment’s hesitation, then “Yes Sir.”

“And that you’ll be arrested on criminal charges by the civilian police who are waiting outside on the result of this hearing?”  The man’s heart was going out to the boy.  He’d read his report.  He’d also read the report of the boy who had been stabbed.  Of the two of them, the Captain was sure which would make the better WASP Officer, but the law demanded he ask one more time.

“Cadet Tracy, do you want your plea to stand?  Think carefully before you answer this time!”

There was an uneasy stirring behind Jeff, his own heart was pounding, knowing what this would mean to his young son whose earliest dream had been to serve in WASP.

The stirring erupted into disquiet.

“Silence there!”  The base’s Chief Petty Officer barked.

The Captain looked up, “What’s going on there?”

“Nothing Sir, Yes my guilty plea stands!” Gordon gabbled to get it on record but his voice was lost in the commotion.

“Tracy! No!” the shout was echoed by several of the watching Cadets, they stood, “No!”

The Commandant rose angrily to his feet, an erupting volcano would have look pale against his wrath. WASP Officer or not, he was just as menacing as any school’s principal.

“ W H A T ?  You’re all going to speak now!  Now _it’s too late_?”  He was furious as he turned on the row of seated Cadets, “I gave you so many opportunities, so many chances to speak and you wait until _now_!  What the hell do you think this is, some sort of kindergarten?  We’ll all have a jolly lovely time and then go for tea and biscuits.  This is life, Cadets!  What you do or do not do at this very moment will change one, or maybe even more than one, of your lives!  FOREVER!”

It was the least expected of the Cadets that chose to stand, the bigger boy who had smirked his way through so far.

“Levette?”  Even the Commandant was taken aback.  "What have you got to say?"

The boy jeered at those Cadets closest to him, he could see they were silently pleading for him not to say anything more damning - he was enjoying this. 

“Only that -"  He turned towards Gordon, "I gotta tell you, Tracy, you’ve balls taking the fall for this!”

“ _Enough!_ ” The Captain was on his feet.  “Show respect Cadet!”

The second Captain stood too, “If you wish to speak, do it civilly and we will listen!”

Levette, standing now to attention, every bit the worthy WASP Officer in the making, “Sir, yes Sir!  I know what actually happened, Captain.”  He was almost grinning, “There were only four of us in the gym when Mannou was stabbed, Sir.  Tracy was on the floor, I was over by the wall and Alex Balenski was the one arguing with Mannou.”

“Shut up Levette!” From Gordon.

“Silence Cadet Tracy!” The Chief snapped.

“No!”  Gordon shouted again, then realising what he’d done, who he’s shouted at and turned to the Chief, “Sorry Chief!  But…”

The Cheif couldn’t hide the flash of a grin, nice kid that Tracy!  “You’ll be silent now Cadet Tracy!”  He repeated, holding up his hand to the boy, warning that he should trust the senior officers to deal with this, but Gordon knew better, he didn’t want to be rescued, not at the expense of…

“Sir!” He addressed the Captain earnestly, passionately wanting to be heard, “Sir, my plea of guilty stand.”

The Captains looked from one to another, “Not yet, we don’t think so.  We think instead we’ll hear some more from Cadet Levette. Continue Levette.”

Levette puffed himself out, enjoying the spotlight, why he had kept quiet until now was a mystery to everyone.  He pointed a finger at Gordon, “He didn’t stab Mannou.  It was Balenski!”

The silence that fell on the roof was crisply felt by all, truly, no one else had known. 

The Chief looked round for Balenski, remembering that the boy had been assigned to sickbay, Tracy’s friend had been a nervous wreck for days, they had all thought he was a victim of the bullies.

“Sir!”  Gordon tried again, " _Sir!_ "

“Stand down Cadet Tracy!  This hearing is closed!”  And behind the Captain’s statement bedlam broke out in the room.

Jeff moved quickly, and stood before Gordon in a second, this time his hand grasped the boy’s shoulder fit enough to hurt, there was the slightest shake to fit each word he demanded.

“I want the truth now, Gordon, d’you hear me!” 

“Dad, please we have to do something!”

“What?  Now you want my help?  Why the hell didn’t you feel you could trust me earlier?”  Jeff was hurt, confused, a little angry, no very angry – he wasn’t sure!  He relented, “Trust me, child!  Now!”

Gordon gulped down the shit he felt, “Alex Balenski was protecting me, he just ploughed into them.  Mannou had the knife, not Alex!”

Jeff glared down on him, unrelentingly expecting the rest.

“Dad, Alex has nothing, no parents, nobody really, all he’s got is WASP!”

“And you?”

Gordon wouldn’t answer that one, but Jeff saw it now.  The Tracy boys had so much. 

If Alex was found guilty he’d spend time in Juvvie and the rest of his life in dead-end jobs. Gordon, on the other hand, had his family’s wealth behind him, it would get him the best lawyer available, Juvvie maybe, but then a comfortable life working for his father. His dreams shattered but he would do well enough.  He could see what the boys had done and why.

Commandant Trekkner was striding over to them, “You! You are not in the clear, young man!  I’ll have your balls for this!” and he stormed on by to follow the Chief to the sickbay.

“Not if I have them first!  Gordon that has got to be singly the most stupid things you have ever done!” Well clearly it was, Jeff shook his head, the weight of his son’s impending arrest on criminal charges had been lifted, anything else was minor in comparison, they would cope with anything else.  “What the hell did you think you were doing?”

“WASP is everything to him, Dad!”

“ _And it’s not to you?_ ” Jeff was almost shouting.

Gordon was close to failing, choked, his head swimming with fear, not only now for his friend, but also for what he’d almost lost.  Cadet Training built bonds between friends that were stronger than most, three of them had started on the same day and managed to stay in the same assigned training for two years. They had become his additional family, an extra brother and a sister too. And the one thing he knew above all else was that you protect your family.

“Dad.”  His voice so low that Jeff had to lean in to hear him. “Dad, I thought I was going to die, they had me there in the gym for ages before Alex found me, honestly Dad I owe him my life!”

Jeff looked down on him, understanding at last.  “You’d have been discharged from WASP, son.”

Gordon nodded, he knew full well.  “He didn’t mean to stab Mannou, and it took me ages to convince him that I’d be okay if I took the blame.  He didn’t want me to, Dad, he’s made himself ill worrying over it.  He really didn’t want to, but it seemed to make sense.  At the time.”

A silence hung between them for a moment.

“He’s one of my best friends, Dad.” Gordon’s face was a pathetic mess of emotions.

Jeff pulled his son in to his chest, “Okay, son, Okay.”

 

Alex Balenski sat in the detention room, Jeff’s exceptionally expensive lawyer discussing what he knew about the case with the local police chief and the Commandant for what seemed like an age to him.

Then when Alex thought the worse must be coming, Trekkner looked across to him and called.“Back to your own room, Balensky!”    The boy looked up, unbelieving his luck.  “We’ve all come to the same conclusion – self-defence!  There will be a hearing tomorrow and the truth better be forthcoming, I’ve had enough of coverups!  But until then, back to training and keep out of trouble, I don’t want to hear your name mentioned for a month!”

Outside of the detention block, Gordon and the dark haired, dark eyed girl, Su Lin were waiting for him.  The girl wrapped an arm round him fondly as they began to walk away.

“You’re a damned fool, Tracy!”

“Yeah well, I couldn’t think of anything else to do quickly at the time.”  Gordon tried a smile, “I’d have been okay, my dad would have grounded me _forever_  but he’d have looked after me.”

Alex stopped and turned to him, grabbing Gordon’s arm to face him. “Didn’t it occur to you that your dad would also have stood by me – I saved your damned life, you damned idiot!  He’d have looked after me too!” Alex was trying to shrug off the dark thoughts that had engulfed him in the sickbay, the fear of bully reprisals and the sure knowledge that he shouldn’t be letting his best friend take the fall for him. It had been like a nightmare.

Gordon thought for a moment – “Oh, yeah.  I guess he would have!  Why didn’t you think of that sooner?”

“Me!”  Alex frowned, “I… Oh I don’t know!”

The girl laughed at them both, “You both idiots!  You should ask me!”

“Oh yeah, and what would you have done?”

“No idea, but I wouldn’t have made such mess as you two!”  She smiled and ruffled both their heads and ran on ahead.

 

With the bullying ring finally identified and dispersed, the base was returning to some form of normality.  As expected, Alex and Gordon faced punishment for not coming forward with the truth earlier – latrine duty for a month.

Strangely though, it turned out to be an unusually easy punishment duty, the latrines stayed incredibly clean bearing in mind how many Cadets used them – but then they were all extremely happy, bully free, Cadets at last.

**Author's Note:**

> I worried about posting a fic that included bullying – I know a little about it, having been bullied myself. The thing is, its not straight forward, you don’t want to tell anyone in fear of reprisals, but now I’m older I can see telling gets it sorted. My own brother told me to stand up to them, even showed me a few fighting tricks, but that just got me in more trouble. Even standing in front of my principal, shoulder to shoulder with my chief nemesis sporting a black eye that I was responsible for, I still chose to say nothing. Facing violence with violence was probably not the best route to take, trust me it hurts!  
> I couldn’t council anyone, the younger you are the harder it is, I just don’t know the answer - keep your head down, stand up for yourself or tell, which ever seems right at the time for you I guess!


End file.
